Monday, October 29, 2001 10:18 AM

The Vassula Enigma

The book, ”The Vassula Enigma” by Jacques Neirynck, was first published a few years ago in French and has since been published in several languages.

The English version has now just been published in the UK. Thanks to the generosity of a benefactor, the book is being made available free of charge for evangelization purposes. Only package and shipping costs will be charged. The book provides an outstanding introduction to Vassula and her mission, especially for those who profess to have no faith or belief. Further details can be found on the web site at: /enigma.html from where copies may also be ordered.

Alternatively, ordering details will be provided to those who reply to this mailing.

Copied, below, is an edited version of an article about the book written by Fr Lauzier from Canada:

The first time that I came across this book and saw the title, I said to myself, ’Let’s hope that this time, the author will be able to appreciate the marvels accomplished by Our Lord in His ”prophet”. And since I didn’t know the writer, I told myself it would be one of those theologians who rationalizes everything that is supernatural and divine (like the biblical miracles) to the point of stripping it of everything supernatural and reducing it to a mere human level. It was with this rather pessimistic state of mind that I embarked on the book. But once I had started it I had to change my tack: and humbly recognise that I was considerably mistaken and once again I had made a rash judgement.

I subsequently learned that the author is not a theologian. Not that I have anything against them, but, in our times, there are very few of them who are theologians out of love for God. Unfortunately, many do it for their own personal glory and as an intellectual exercise and we know where that leads. Anyway, the question does not arise since Jacques Neirynck is a scientist. His actual area of specialisation I would have you know is ’Theory of Circuits and Systems’, a branch of mathematics applied to techniques of electricity. He has even set up his own scientific publishing house which has printed a Treatise on Electricity in 22 volumes. One could, therefore, reasonably put forward that he is up to date with regard to the science of electricity, but not with that which touches the science of God, theology.

But what at first sight may seen a disadvantage in dealing with a subject like the ”supernatural” is in fact an advantage. One could not imagine him believing that the moon is made of green cheese. He himself does not profess to have any ”mystical fibre”: ”As a result of my upbringing, I mistrust the supernatural, with its pomp and artifice. As a result of experience I know that human beings easily fall victim to their imagination, always ready to escape from the monotony or bleakness of their destiny by coming up with prodigies or miracles”. It was therefore with his two feet firmly planted on the ground that the author accepted an offer from the publisher, Monsieur Favre, to meet Vassula, ”with a view to possibly putting together a series of interviews”. All that he knew about Vassula was to do with the Notification which puts faithful Catholics on their guard. In fact, it was rather negative.

At their first meeting at a hotel in Lausanne he expected ”to meet someone who was an impassioned evangelist, a vedette of the New Age or a formidable founder of a sect”. On the contrary he found ”a woman who was completely natural, more reserved than exuberant, dressed with taste but without affectation, a mother like the thousands that you meet in the streets of Lausanne. But she was clearly dressed with an internal energy”.

Following on from this meeting the author decided to start a series of interviews. The content of the book is therefore the result of five interviews of about three hours each. Apart from a few necessary explanations the book is presented as a series of questions and answers.

I have just re-read the book for the second time! I wanted to be sure of my first impression. I was extremely enthusiastic and I still AM!